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Forums - Politics Discussion - Israel-Hamas war, Gaza genocide

SvennoJ 18 hours ago

British legislators call for public inquiry on UK’s role in Gaza war

Seven legislators including Jeremy Corbyn, the former leader of the Labour Party, and Carla Denyer, the co-leader of the Green Party, are demanding “an independent, public inquiry into the UK’s involvement in Israel’s military assault in Gaza”.

In an op-ed in the UK’s Guardian newspaper, the parliamentarians noted how an inquiry into the country’s conduct during the Iraq war found “serious failings in the British government, which ignored the warnings of millions of ordinary people over its disastrous decision to go to war”.

History is repeating itself, they wrote.

The UK has “played a highly influential role in Israel’s military operations, including the sale of weapons, the supply of intelligence and the use of Royal Air Force bases in Cyprus”.

And with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants for Israeli leaders for war crimes and crimes against humanity, many in the UK believe the British government “has taken decisions that have implicated officials in the gravest breaches of international law”, they said.

These charges will not go away until there is an inquiry with the legal power to establish the truth, they added.



Activists plant Palestinian flags at Trump golf course in Ireland

A group of people have dug up the greens at a golf course owned by Trump in western Ireland and planted several Palestinian flags there, according to Irish media.

The incident at the Trump International Golf Links and Hotel in Doonbeg took place on Wednesday, days after protesters in Scotland targeted a Trump golf course in that country and sprayed “GAZA IS NOT 4 SALE” in huge white letters on the property’s lawn.

The Irish Times reported that police are “investigating an incident of criminal damage” in western Ireland, and that a spokesperson for Trump in Ireland has condemned the protest as a “childish, criminal act”.



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SvennoJ 17 hours ago

US, Israel reached out to Sudan, Somalia to resettle Palestinians from Gaza: Report

The Associated Press news agency is reporting that the US and Israel contacted officials from Sudan, Somalia and the breakaway region of Somaliland to “discuss using their territories as potential destinations for resettling Palestinians uprooted from the Gaza Strip”.

The agency cited anonymous officials from the US and Israel. It reported that officials from Sudan rejected overtures from the US, while officials from Somalia and Somaliland said they were unaware of any contacts.

Trump floated the idea of forcibly displacing Palestinians and taking over the Gaza Strip in February. The proposal was rejected by Palestinians and countries in the Middle East, with many describing it as tantamount to ethnic cleansing, a war crime.

The US president has since given mixed signals, appearing to soften his stance on Wednesday telling reporters that “nobody is expelling any Palestinians from Gaza.”


Idea of resettling Palestinians to African countries ‘outrageous’

Tamer Qarmout, an associate professor at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies, says the proposal to resettle Palestinians from Gaza is “outrageous” and it’s time for the international community to counter such “inhumane ideas”.

Governments around the world have a “responsibility to stop this and should not be engaging with Israel on any of these scenarios”, he told Al Jazeera.

Qarmout described the forced displacement of Palestinians as “a red line that should not be crossed. This is especially true of African countries, many of which continue to struggle from colonial legacies.”

The Associated Press reported earlier that the US and Israel contacted officials from Sudan, Somalia and the breakaway region of Somaliland to discuss a possible resettlement of Gaza’s people there.

“Sudan and Somalia are still ravaged by wars due to the colonial legacy. They [the Israeli government] have to be exposed and put on a shame list,” Qarmout said.


No mention of two-state solution to Israeli-Palestinian conflict at G7

Foreign ministers from the G7 nations made no mention of a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in their final draft statement, dropping language that underscored its importance in earlier drafts of the text.

The members instead stressed the imperative of a “political horizon for the Palestinian people” and reaffirmed their support for the resumption of unhindered humanitarian aid into Gaza and for a permanent ceasefire.

Diplomats said the statement – an all-encompassing document touching on geopolitical issues from across the world – still needed to get the green light from ministers before they wrap up talks on Friday morning.

“They underscored the imperative of a political horizon for the Palestinian people, achieved through a negotiated solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that meets the legitimate needs and aspirations of both peoples and advances comprehensive Middle East peace, stability and prosperity,” the draft said.



SvennoJ 17 hours ago

Somaliland: No talks with anyone to resettle Palestinians from Gaza

Somaliland has not received any proposal from the US or Israel to resettle Palestinians from Gaza, the foreign minister of Somalia’s breakaway region says.

The Associated Press quoted US and Israeli officials as saying their two countries contacted officials from Sudan, Somalia and Somaliland to discuss using their territory for resettling Palestinians from the war-devastated Gaza Strip.

“I haven’t received such a proposal, and there are no talks with anyone regarding Palestinians,” Foreign Minister Abdirahman Dahir Adan said.

Arab leaders adopted a $53bn Egyptian reconstruction plan for Gaza that would avoid displacing Palestinians from the enclave, in contrast with Trump’s vision of a “Riviera of the Middle East”.


Somalia rejects US, Israeli call to resettle Palestinians in its territory

Somalia rejects any proposal that would undermine the Palestinian people’s right to live peacefully on their ancestral land, its foreign minister says.

Ahmed Moalim Fiqi told the Reuters news agency that Somalia also rejected any plan that would involve the use of its territory for the resettlement of other populations.

Somalia and its breakaway region of Somaliland have not received any proposal from the US or Israel to resettle Palestinians from Gaza, their foreign ministers said.

As we reported earlier, The Associated Press news agency quoted US and Israeli officials as saying their governments had contacted officials from Sudan, Somalia and Somaliland to discuss using their territory for resettling Palestinians from Gaza.



SvennoJ 17 hours ago

Israel has killed 3 Palestinians in Gaza every day since truce, rights group says

As we’ve been reporting, Israeli forces have been continuing daily attacks on Gaza despite the ceasefire deal, killing scores of people across the Strip, including two children on Thursday alone.

The Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor says Israeli forces have killed at least 150 Palestinians and wounded 605 others between January 19, when the ceasefire came into effect, and March 10.

That comes up to an average of three people every 24 hours.

“The ongoing killings by the Israeli army are carried out by snipers and drones, including quadcopter aircraft, which target Palestinian civilians in the Gaza Strip. The deadly attacks frequently occur when residents attempt to return and inspect their damaged homes near the so-called ‘buffer zone’ imposed by Israel along the Strip’s northern and eastern borders,” it said.




Hamas demands Israel pull out from south Gaza

Hazem Qassem, a spokesman for Hamas, has demanded that Israel withdraw troops from the so-called Philadelphi Corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border, in line with its obligations under the first phase of the ceasefire deal.

“Reports indicate new proposals are being presented aimed at circumventing the Gaza agreement,” Qassem told the AFP news agency.

“Meetings are continuing with mediators in Doha. We adhere to what was agreed upon and to entering into the second phase,” he added.

But Qassem insisted that Israel must also fulfil its obligations of “withdrawing from the entire Gaza Strip”, according to AFP, and “begin the withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor” for any second phase deal to end the war.

“Israel has not implemented the humanitarian protocol of the Gaza agreement,” he added. “We do not want to return to war again, and if the occupation resumes its aggression, we have no choice but to defend our people.”


WFP unable to bring any food into Gaza in nearly two weeks

The World Food Programme (WFP) says it hasn’t been able to bring any food aid into Gaza since March 2 because of Israel’s closure of all crossing points for both humanitarian and commercial supplies.

Current food stocks in Gaza will be able to support active kitchens and bakeries for up to one month, while ready-to-eat food parcels can support 550,000 people for two weeks, it said.

The UN agency also said it’s increasingly concerned about food shortages in the occupied West Bank where military activity, displacement, and movement restrictions are disrupting markets and limiting access to food.

“These disruptions and the worsening economic conditions over the last year are putting upward pressure on prices,” it said. “With rising displacement and unemployment even basic food items have become unaffordable for many families.”



SvennoJ 17 hours ago

90% of Gaza population without reliable access to water: Media office

The Government Media Office in Gaza provided an update on the humanitarian situation during Israel’s blockade of aid.

Below is a summary:

  • Food shortages have worsened with 80 percent of citizens losing access to food sources because of the closing of land crossings.
  • Bread shortages have intensified as 25 percent of Gaza’s bakeries have ceased operations, and others are on the verge of closing because of fuel depletion.
  • Severe water scarcity has created a crisis as a lack of fuel shut down wells and desalination plants, leaving 90 percent of Gaza’s population without reliable access to water.
  • Waste management and road clearance programmes have largely stopped as municipalities prioritise fuel for operating water facilities. This has exacerbated public suffering and created a severe health and environmental crisis, particularly amid rising temperatures.
  • Lack of medicine and medical supplies has added to the suffering of 150,000 patients with chronic disease and the war-wounded.
  • Transportation and communication systems have nearly collapsed.


‘Fear, alarm’ as aid supplies run out on day 13 of Israeli blockade

It’s been 13 days since Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza and the situation continues to deteriorate for the 2.3 million population.

“We are feeling it on multiple levels,” Olga Cherevko from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) told Al Jazeera. “The hope that began when the ceasefire started is being replaced with fear, alarm and concern that supplies are running out.”

She said food security “could deteriorate quite rapidly unless the supplies are restored”. Six of the 25 World Food Programme bakeries have been forced to close because there is no fuel to run them.

Israel cut electricity to a crucial water desalination plant, threatening Gaza’s potable water supply.

“The water and sanitation situation was already dire with most of the facilities destroyed during the months of fighting. This latest [Israeli] decision reduces access to drinking water to about 600,000 people,” Cherevko said.


Call for countries to ‘break the siege on Gaza’

It’s been 13 days since Israel imposed a total blockade on Gaza and the situation continues to deteriorate for the 2.3 million population.

“The consequences of this crime on the humanitarian situation are clear with the indicators of famine and food insecurity unmistakable,” Gaza’s media office said. “Israel and its Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are responsible for the deteriorating humanitarian conditions in Gaza.”

It called on the international community to “take action to break the siege on Gaza, allow the entry of humanitarian aid, and hold Israeli war criminals accountable”.

The closure of crossings has also “exacerbated the suffering of 150,000 chronic patients and injured individuals who can no longer access essential medications or medical supplies”.



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SvennoJ 17 hours ago

Gaza City flooded with sewage: ‘Situation is now out of control’

Under the weight of the siege and starvation imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip, Palestinians now face a severe environmental crisis with some streets submerged in sewage water.

The situation has worsened because of the shutdown of pumping stations caused by Israel’s blockade of fuel supplies and cutting off of electricity. Fears of the outbreak of disease are growing.

“Israel’s targeting of sewage stations, rainwater collection ponds, and main transport lines, alongside the fuel shortage required to operate generators, has led to a real disaster in the city,” said Gaza City municipality spokesperson Hosni Mahna.

“The situation is now out of control, and sewage is flooding the streets of a city already suffering from the effects of war.”

This crisis “threatens the spread of diseases in unprecedented ways, especially in densely populated neighbourhoods, along with the spread of foul odours, insects, and rodents”, Mahna warned.


‘The war of water’

Families displaced from the south to the north of Gaza continue battling for survival.

Suha Faraj, a mother of four, described how the lack of clean water has upended her family’s life. “Instead of focusing on education, my children are out queuing for water. This has become our reality since the war began,” she told Al Jazeera.

“We struggle to find clean water for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene. Even when water is available, it is not safe to drink.”

Israel’s ongoing blockade of aid has left many like Faraj with no choice but to drink untreated water, leading to severe health consequences.

“Kidney diseases, kidney stones and other illnesses have emerged due to the water crisis,” Faraj explained. “We try to boil the water, but gas is scarce. Often, we have no choice but to drink it as it is.”

The humanitarian crisis is compounded by food shortages, which have worsened with the onset of Ramadan.

“This Ramadan is the hardest we’ve ever faced,” Faraj said. “With border closures, food supplies have dwindled. There is no fresh food, and we rely on canned goods. Even cooking has become a challenge due to the lack of gas and water.”

“This is no way to live,” she added. “It has become the war of water.”



SvennoJ 17 hours ago

Israeli air strike kills 4 in Gaza City

Four people have been killed in an Israeli attack on the Zeitoun neighbourhood in the southern part of Gaza City.

The Euro-Med Monitor on Wednesday said Israel has killed at least 150 Palestinians – an average of three people every 24 hours – since the Gaza ceasefire began on January 19.


Israeli tanks fire near Rafah

Sources in Gaza are telling Al Jazeera Arabic that Israeli army tanks are firing heavily on Palestinian homes in the town of ash-Shawka, to the east of south Gaza’s major city.


Young Palestinian fisherman killed by Israeli forces off Gaza coast

A Palestinian fisherman was killed tonight after Israeli naval forces shelled his boat off the coast of Al-Sudaniya, north of Gaza, Wafa reports.

The agency’s correspondent said that that the fisherman was 22 years old.


Palestinian journalist in Gaza dies from injuries sustained in Israeli attack

The Forum of Palestinian Journalists has announced the death of Alaa Hashim, who died of injuries she previously sustained in an Israeli bombardment of Gaza City.

Hashim’s death brought the number of Palestinian journalists killed in Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip since October 7, 2023, to 206.

The NGO urged “enabling journalists to perform their professional duties in accordance with international laws and humanitarian conventions”.



SvennoJ 17 hours ago

Israeli settlers, soldiers storm another Palestinian village

Earlier, we reported that Israeli settlers set fire to Palestinian homes and vehicles in the occupied West Bank village of Duma and the town of Khirbet al-Manajim, both south of Nablus.

Israeli settlers, escorted by Israeli soldiers, have now stormed the Palestinian village of Kifl Haris, near Salfit, according to Palestinian activist Ihab Hassan.

Israeli soldiers sealed the village off in the early hours of this morning “under the pretext of [the settlers] visiting religious sites”, Hassan wrote in a post on X.

Kifl Haris is home to a Jewish and Muslim holy site known as Joshua’s Tomb in Judaism and Maqam of Yusha’ ibn Nun in Islam.


Hamas: West Bank settler attacks backed by Israeli government

The Gaza-based group addressed the ongoing Israeli settler attacks in the occupied territory.

  • Settler attacks in the West Bank come within the context of the comprehensive war waged by the occupation against the Palestinian people.
  • The settlers’ aggression and terrorism against our people are carried out with the full support of the occupation government and its army to implement displacement plans.
  • We call for confronting settler attacks in the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem through escalating confrontations and resistance.


Israeli settlers attack Palestinian village, burn homes: Report

Suleiman Dawabsheh, head of the Duma village council, told Anadolu news agency that dozens of settlers stormed Khirbet al-Marajim, a village in Nablus governorate, and set six houses and a vehicle on fire.

Dawabsheh added the attack caused extensive material losses. Clashes erupted between the villagers and settlers, but no injuries were reported.


Israeli forces suppress peaceful march in West Bank’s Kafr Qaddum

The Israeli army fired sound bombs and tear gas against Palestinians staging a peaceful march for the reopening of the main road in the village of Kafr Qaddum, east of Qalqilya.

The Wafa news agency said no injuries have been reported.

The Israeli military closed the main entrance of the village that connects it to Nablus with a permanent roadblock in 2003.


Young Palestinian killed following Israeli raid near Nablus

A young Palestinian man died after being wounded in an Israeli army raid in Salem, a town east of the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, Wafa reports, quoting local sources.

Amer Dawoud Shtayyeh, 21, was rushed to hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after, the agency said.

Sources told Wafa that Israeli forces stormed the town, triggering confrontations.

Soldiers fired barrages of live ammunition and tear gas canisters, critically wounding a 21-year-old in the head, the agency said. They also briefly detained a minor.


Settlers fire live ammunition, use tear gas in attack on West Bank village: Residents

Israeli settlers, who took part in a previously reported attack on the Palestinian village of Khirbet al-Marajim in the occupied West Bank, burned down three houses and a number of cars.

Local residents told the Reuters news agency they fired live ammunition and hurled tear gas bombs at people trying to put out the flames in the latest in a series of raids that have surged during the war on Gaza.

CCTV footage showed masked individuals entering Palestinians’ property, throwing objects around and destroying a security camera.

“They climbed on top of the house and started to throw stones,” resident Maysoom Msalam told the agency. “They broke the door and the windows. Then they burnt this door and entered and set fire inside the house.”

Ghassan Daghlas, governor of the nearby city of Nablus, dismissed suggestions that Palestinians had provoked the attack. “This is an attack aimed at expelling citizens from their lands by settlers, a project to displace Palestinians from their lands,” he told Reuters.


Israel arrests two Palestinian teenagers in occupied West Bank

Israeli forces detained two Palestinian teenagers tonight after chasing their vehicle in the town of Silwad, northeast of Ramallah, in the occupied West Bank, Wafa reports, citing a local official.

Ra’ed Hamed, the mayor of Silwad, told Wafa that an Israeli military unit stormed the town, pursued a vehicle and deliberately rammed it before detaining the two teenagers, both aged 16.


Israeli forces kill Palestinian in east of Nablus

A young man has died of critical injuries sustained when Israeli forces shot him in the head during a raid on the town of Salem in the occupied West Bank’s Nablus, according to the Palestinian Health Ministry.

The ministry reported that 21-year-old Omar Shtayyeh died of his wounds at the hospital.



SvennoJ 17 hours ago

Hamas agrees to release Israeli-American captive, 4 bodies

Hamas announced it has agreed to release Idan Alexander and the bodies of four dual nationals.

The Gaza-based group said it received a proposal from mediators to resume negotiations, and it dealt with it “responsibly and positively”.

“The movement affirms its complete readiness to begin negotiations and reach a comprehensive agreement on the issues of the [ceasefire’s] second phase, calling for the occupation to fully implement its obligations,” a statement said.

The Palestinian group says it affirms “its complete readiness” to begin truce negotiations for the second phase of the Gaza ceasefire with Israel.

“Yesterday, the Hamas leadership delegation received a proposal from the mediating brothers to resume negotiations,” Hamas said in a statement.

“The movement responded responsibly and positively and submitted its response this morning, including its agreement to release the Israeli soldier Edan Alexander, who holds American citizenship, in addition to the bodies of four other dual nationals.”

Earlier, Hamas official Husam Badran said the group “is determined to implement the ceasefire agreement in its various stages, and the occupation’s departure from what was agreed will take us back to zero”.


Hamas says freeing of Israeli-American conditional on phase 2 talks

Hamas earlier announced it’s ready to hand over an Israeli-American captive and the bodies of four dual nationals.

US envoy Steve Witkoff told reporters this month that gaining the release of Edan Alexander, 21, is a “top priority”. US hostage negotiator Adam Boehler met Hamas leaders in recent days to seek Alexander’s release.

Hamas said the move is conditional on beginning the talks on the second phase of the ceasefire, opening crossings, and lifting the total blockade imposed by Israel two weeks ago.

“We are working with mediators for the agreement to succeed and to compel the occupation to conclude all phases of the agreement,” said Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua, a Hamas spokesperson.

“Hamas’s approval to release Edan Alexander aims to push towards the conclusion of the phases of the agreement.”


Hamas says Israel’s attempts to sabotage Gaza deal will not succeed

Hamas spokesperson Abdel-Latif al-Qanoua has told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that mediators are making “strenuous efforts” in the talks despite Israel’s attempts to sabotage it, apparently referring to Qatar and Egypt.

“We are working with the mediators to ensure the success of the negotiations, compel the occupation, and complete the agreement’s stages,” he said.

“We hope that the results of the negotiations will ensure the implementation of all stages of the agreement.”



SvennoJ 17 hours ago

US proposes ‘bridge’ to extend Gaza ceasefire: White House

Washington says its “bridge” plan aims to extend the ceasefire in Gaza into April beyond Ramadan and Passover.

It will allow time to negotiate a permanent cessation of hostilities, the White House also said in a statement.

The proposal was presented on Wednesday by US special envoy Steve Witkoff and National Security Council official Eric Trager, according to a statement issued by their offices.

“Through our Qatari and Egyptian partners, Hamas was told in no uncertain terms that this “bridge” would have to be implemented soon — and that dual US-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander would have to be released immediately,” it added.

What ceasefire? Daily killings and air strikes continue, aid completely cut off, that's not a ceasefire.

Ninety-eight people killed by Israel in Gaza since truce started

According to a tally by Al Jazeera relying on Gaza Health Ministry data, Israel killed 23 Palestinians and wounded eight in the enclave in January after the ceasefire went into effect on the 20th of the month.

In February, 31 people were killed with 16 wounded while 44 were killed and two wounded from March 1 until today.

Accordingly, the confirmed death toll caused by Israeli attacks on Gaza since October 7, 2023, stands at 48,529 killed and 111,955 wounded.


Witkoff’s proposal buys time as Hamas, Israel disagree on ending Gaza war

Israel does not want to talk about phase two of the ceasefire agreement because it does not want to touch the idea of ending the war, while Hamas insists on talking about ending the war.

What US special envoy Steve Witkoff did was put forward a bridging proposal to secure the release of some Israeli captives while maintaining an open dialogue between the parties.

What we’re seeing from Hamas now is a show of goodwill towards the Trump administration, because the captive who will be released, Edan Alexander, is Israeli American and the bodies of captives set to be handed back also belong to dual nationals.

This proposal has created a lot of panic among the families of the Israeli captives who feel left out, who feel this agreement puts the lives of their relatives in danger. The Israeli prime minister has accused Hamas of not respecting Witkoff’s proposal and a cabinet meeting is expected to take place on Saturday.